Before heading to class, rlin decided to drop by the headmaster’s ho unannounced. He had sothing he so urgently wanted to request for, and he believed sending an email would only delay him.
However, that act of his brought about an even colder gaze from the headmaster’s maid, Eun-Wol, than she’d worn the last ti he’d been here.
“The headmaster is a busy man; you do not just drop by and expect him to be sitting around, always available,” she said, her tone a contrast to her stare, because it was scalding hot.
rlin understood. His action was a rude one, not taking into consideration how it affected others besides himself. After all, if he put himself in the headmaster’s shoes, he wouldn’t be exactly welcoming of constant visits from people without prior notice, even if they were students. rlin was only relieved that he had been able to stop Hakyun and Chima from coming with him. Surely, that would have only made things worse.
“I apologize,” he said with a slight bow in remorse. “But I needed to tell him sothing urgently, so I took the leap.”
Maid Eun-Wol was silent for a few seconds, standing rigidly before the opened door of the mini mansion the headmaster had for a ho.
“Please do not let this repeat itself,” she said soon after. rlin nodded. “The headmaster is not at ho at the mont, however, if you can pass this urgent matter of yours onto , then I will relay it to him as soon as he returns.”
rlin flushed slightly.
This urgent matter of his, to her ears, would probably not be as urgent as he had made it out to be.
Wouldn’t telling her only make her more angry? Seriously, any more of that chilly gaze of hers and he might as well turn into an icicle. But his only other option would be leaving and sending an email to the headmaster. Which, as he’d already inferred, would have him waiting for, perhaps, days for a reply.
What was a little embarrassnt in the grand sche of things?
He cleared his throat. “Please tell him that I would greatly appreciate it if he could grant , uhm—clearance?—to use his ho gym.”
For the first ti since he’d t maid Eun-Wol, rlin glimpsed her bored expression falter, even if only for a mont. Her eyes widened as she blinked owlishly, her brows furrowed, and her flat lips curved downwards slightly.
Yeah. He was embarrassed.
“The urgent matter of yours is to use the headmaster’s gym?” she asked after she had cleared her throat.
“Yes,” rlin pushed through the awkwardness to reply.
To be honest, it was really an urgent matter—that was if the headmaster had ant what he’d said about putting rlin at the forefront in the advent of the Cataclysm. And that was because rlin had tried his darndest these past few days, partaking in early morning jogs, push-ups, sit-ups, shadow boxing, but his growth had returned to the glacial hell it had been subjected to when he’d first received the System. There was barely any progress anymore; and if he did not throw himself into the comfort of a gym any ti soon, it would only get worse concerning the role he had been given.
And it was not like he could head out of the Academy grounds every day to go to a gym, and return in ti for class. This was the only option he had left.
Maid Eun-Wol sighed—apathetically, of course. rlin had never seen or heard such a sigh before, but it was only normal to learn and experience new things at an Academy.
“I will relay your ssage,” she said and retreated into the manor. “Do not return unannounced—not now, not ever—and wait for the headmaster’s reply. Have a good day.” The door slamd shut.
Well, that had gone well.
Construction 101 was the first on the newly admitted Mages’ titable for Tuesday, and it was to be taken for an hour by Professor Dmitri Volkov from nine to ten, who rlin couldn’t help but feel had sothing against his presence. Because as soon as the man had stepped into the class, he had shot a glare straight in his direction.
Things were not going to go well this morning, were they?
“You may sit,” Professor Dmitri Volkov motioned with his hand as soon as the students present concluded their greetings.
The number of the students in the class had dwindled when compared to the previous day’s, but it wasn’t because of anything highly significant. Every student already knew which of the category of Mages they were. Those present currently were those whose magic was done through Construction, which included Oh Jihye and Lee Jaehyun.
Lee Jaehyun had kept to his words and had sent rlin the notes of the lectures he had missed, and for that rlin was grateful and put it at the back of his mind that he owed the boy one. Of course, he had also offered his thanks as soon as they’d t in class. However, that didn’t stop him from being curious about what sort of magic the boy dabbled in.
He would have to wait patiently for that reveal, though. It would be unethical to pry.
“I believe that this class is for Mages whose thod of casting spells is Construction, am I right?” Professor Dmitri Volkov started, his voice low and carrying animosity with every single word he spewed. This was the first ti rlin had heard the man speak, so he wondered if that was how the man talked, or if sothing was the cause.
“Yes!” a couple of students replied in unison to the man’s question.
Professor Dmitri Volkov nodded, and, once again, shot a glare in rlin’s direction. rlin flinched.
Oh God.
“Then what is a Deficient Mage doing in here?”
The whole class turned over in their seats to glance his way, using that instance to murmur their thoughts of displeasure at his presence. It seed they had all been wondering the sa thing as the professor—well, all besides Lee Jaehyun and Oh Jihye who were seated beside him, and didn’t even bother to ask. rlin wasn’t exactly sure about Oh Jihye, but since she wasn’t saying anything, he gave her the benefit of the doubt.
There was one person who relished in his plight to a greater degree than the rest of the class, though, and it was none other than Choi Sangook.
rlin had co to harbor a deep loathing for the boy after Hakyun had told him of his history with the bastard. As it ca to be, Hakyun’s father worked as a driver to Choi Sangook’s father, the Guildmaster of the Golden Crown Guild, and, as a result, Choi Sangook and Hakyun had known each other since they were kids. However, their relationship was not all rainbow and sunshine, and rlin despised people who treated others like crap just because they could, especially if those being mistreated were his friends.
But all that was not what had taken center stage right now. It was that Professor Dmitri Volkov had it out for him—for a reason rlin felt he had an idea of.
So, is this because I’m a Deficient Mage? Well, I shouldn’t have expected every professor to be fine with an outcast in their Academy after all. Even if this outcast has sothing different going for him. I wonder if he knows about what the headmaster told . Doesn’t matter. I still have to be a student and not get all smug.
He sighed and rose to his feet.
“I’m just interested in the concept of magic, professor, like every other student here,” rlin replied. “I’ll act like a ghost, so, please, let remain in class.”
rlin was always of the mind that no knowledge was wasted. Yes, he couldn’t channel enough mana to cast spells, so he was not a Mage that could use either of Construction or Creation. But, from what had happened with Singularity Mage now translating to his life as a whole, just listening in on the lecture could grant him a better understanding of how magic functioned for Construction Mages, and could end up proving useful for him whenever he tried to deconstruct the spell of one.
That was assuming he was able to grasp anything in the first place—if he was allowed to stay.
Professor Dmitri Volkov clearly had more to say, but he held himself back for so reason. Then, with a slight twitch of the side of his eyes, he motioned for rlin to have his seat.
“One word from you—one word—and I’ll have you out of my class,” the man with slicked back salt and pepper hair said. “Do well to act as a ghost.”
There was a snicker from a few of his classmates, but rlin didn’t mind. It was not like he knew them personally to be concerned about what they thought about him. But it was funny. He had thought that no one would be displeased with his presence any longer after he had proven his worth in the physical assessnt, but it seed a lot of other things besides him not being competent enough ca together to fuel their displeasure for him. He doubted most of them even knew about his ability to use anti-magic yet. It was not like he had gone about announcing it. He wondered what would happen when that news was broadcasted.
rlin glanced at Lee Jaehyun, the boy looked like he had things to say, but rlin was not of the mind to engage him. He quickly turned away, glad that Oh Jihye was seated between them. He wanted to remain in this class; nothing would make him speak. Absolutely nothing.
The class started in earnest then.
“First of all, what is Construction?” Professor Dmitri Volkov started, leaning slightly on the podium, his voice still laced with animosity. rlin ca to the conclusion that such was simply the man’s way of speech. “Construction, in the literal sense, involves building or assembling sothing from existing parts or materials. When we take this literal definition and use it to define the laws of magic, Construction becos…” A hand went up. Professor Dmitri nudged his glasses with a finger as he narrowed his eyes. “I was not asking a question. Put your hand down.”
rlin blinked, surprised. Usually, teachers would be more than pleased that a student wanted to try their hand at answering a question. So why was Professor Dmitri’s reaction so different? In fact, why was everything about him so frightening? What was up with the man?
He dared not ask though. He dared not speak.
Professor Dmitri Volkov cleared his throat and resud from where he had stopped, like he had not just been deterred, “...Construction becos a category of spell casting which involves the building of spells by assembling their existing components.”
rlin glanced around the classroom, a few students obviously had questions dancing at the tip of their tongues, but after experiencing what their mate had just gone through, they kept their lips sealed.
rlin, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly confused at the concept of Construction. Which should have been surprising, but he had been highly involved in Nora’s spell casting practice, and from what he could infer, she was a Construction Mage. So he knew more than the basics of the concept already.
But he was different, and others had the right to ask the questions that troubled them. If things went on like this, it could turn out bad for the students considering they still had long ways to go with Professor Dmitri, not just at the mont, but throughout the first year, and maybe even the second year.
Professor Dmitri Volkov continued, “A Construction Mage casts spells by employing their mana as a link between them and the molecules in the atmosphere. Our mana has beco a part of our subconscious as Mages, and, thus, our subconscious has been modified to assimilate with a certain atmospheric elent. Channeling mana outwards and reconstructing the molecules in the atmosphere that correspond with each of our elents is how our spells are brought to life. This is why Construction Mages are known as elentalists—Mages who control the elents.
“However, that does not an that every Construction Mage is an elentalist. There are a lot of other things that exist in the atmosphere and in the earth crust, as well as everything surrounding us, that aren’t specifically elents. What I’m saying is, as long as mana can be channeled into sothing, as long as mana can serve as a link between a Mage and sothing, then whatever that thing is can be a Hex. For example, Density can exist as a Hex for a Construction Mage. So can lightning, smoke, gravity, and even the weather itself. Basically, despite Construction Mages being known mostly for being elentalists, more obscure ones exist. Do not assu a Construction Mage will automatically be an elentalist.”
rlin’s brows fell, and unlike the rest of the students who had the liberty to murmur between themselves, he had only his mind to bounce ideas with.
Just from what the creepy professor had said, it seed, at first glance, that Construction Mages were outright broken. The fact that there was a Construction Mage out there who could control gravity itself was mindblowing.
Gravity was a fundantal force that kept every solid object held to the ground, the atmosphere itself held in place, and even shared part in the ability of the Earth to orbit around the sun. One wouldn’t be called mad if they said gravity was life itself. And there was soone out there who could control it? That was pure insanity. If whoever that was managed to get a good grasp of what they could do, they could prove to be even more useful than him in the grand sche of things.
“On that note, continuing this class without knowing the diversity of your abilities will be almost impossible, because each of your Hex’s will work in different ways. To be able to teach you the right way to proceed with casting your spells…” Professor Dmitri Volkov went on, “...I’ll have you all state what Hex’s you have. Starting from the back. Lee Jaehyun.”
rlin had not been expecting to find out Lee Jaehyun’s Hex so quickly, but he wouldn’t claim that he wasn’t excited. For a person who was so adamant in keeping the things he could do a secret, he was particularly interested in that of others.
Lee Jaehyun rose to his feet, and everyone in the class turned to him as though they listened with their eyes and not their ears. Perhaps that was simply because they wanted to ogle the boy. rlin wondered how many friends the boy must have made by now. But that would definitely be exhausting. After all, he wouldn’t know who was actually being friends with him simply because they were interested in him and not his connections.
Guess one couldn’t have it all, huh?
Lee Jaehyun took a deep breath and exhaled. “My Hex is…” rlin listened attentively, despite his flat expression making it seem like he wasn’t interested, “gravity.”
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